The Wednesday Night Routine
by StormWolf10
Summary: Sort-of- continuation/sequel to 'Tea with the Millers', but can be read alone. Contains spoilers. Alec Hardy and Ellie Miller- now Carter- establish a Wednesday night routine with food, drink, and- just occasionally- a mishap.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Sort-of-continuation of 'Tea with the Millers', although I don't really think you have to read it. Think of that story like a prequel!**

They'd settled into a routine, Alec realised somewhat belatedly. He and the Millers. Well, he and the Carters. Ellie had gone back to her maiden name barely three weeks after Joe had been arrested. Not that Alec could blame her; it was bad enough that Broadchurch was such a close-knit community and they all knew who she was, without having her surname as a constant reminder of the life she'd had. Tom had changed his surname too, had refused to even listen whenever anyone mentioned Joe's name. Poor Fred didn't even understand what was happening, just that his Daddy had disappeared. The youngest boy was almost a year old by the time the Wednesday night routine had been established, and although he didn't know why Alec was suddenly at their house more often than not, he seemed to like it. Their routine was simple; Alec would arrive at around half four, sometimes bringing stickers and sweets, and sometimes bringing soft toys and magazines. They'd watch TV for a bit, he and Tom and Fred, usually some animated toddlers' programme Fred was fond of. Ellie would cook dinner, something like Spaghetti Bolognese, or shepherd's pie, or sometimes just good old fish and chips. They'd eat at the dining room table, and afterwards Fred would run around for a bit before Ellie put him to bed and Alec and Tom would play video games, or Alec would help Tom with homework, or they'd chat. It was nice, Alec realised as he pulled up outside the Carters' house. He'd been planning on leaving Broadchurch immediately; Ellie had talked of moving away, but neither one of them seemed quite ready to make the move, quite ready to go their separate ways.

He knocked on the door, and was greeted by Tom, who let him in, already talking about how he'd beaten Olly on Fifa the day before.

"Yeah?" Alec asked, feigning interest. "Bet Olly wasn't too happy about that."

Tom grinned and shook his head.

"Said I'd cheated," Tom replied with a small laugh. "Reckoned you'd taught me loads of tricks or something."

"Ah, but we both know I'm rubbish at Fifa," Alec reminded the boy as he settled himself on the sofa in the front room.

"I tried telling him that, but he didn't believe me," Tom told him. "I think he was jealous!"

Fred had taken one look at Alec and toddled across the floor happily, holding his arms up. Alec obliged, lifting the boy onto his lap.

"Where's your Mum?" Alec asked as Tom sat himself down on the floor with a football magazine.

"I'm here," Ellie responded, entering the room. "Was just trying to tidy the kitchen up a bit. It was a right state."

She settled herself on the sofa beside Alec, watching as Fred bounced himself on the Detective Inspector's knees. Alec looked a little bemused by the whole situation, but kept his arms around the boy's waist to steady him.

"I can take him if you want," Ellie told him cautiously. "Or you can just put him down."

Alec, however, shook his head.

"It's alright, I just forgot what it was like having a toddler around," he admitted with a wry smile. "What with my daughter being all grown up."

Ellie smiled sympathetically, knowing how much Alec missed his daughter. They sat in silence for several minutes, before Ellie sighed and got to her feet again.

"Suppose I'd better make a start on tea," Ellie announced. "Pasta Bake alright?"

Alec and Tom both nodded, and Ellie left the room.

**~StormWolf10~**

"That's a lot of noise," Alec told Fred, eyebrow arched as the little boy sobbed and screamed.

It was almost seven o'clock, Fred's bedtime, but the little boy didn't seem very happy about that. In fact, he clung to Alec, sobbing as Ellie tried to lift him into her arms. Tom watched in bemusement, waiting impatiently to begin a racing game on the X Box. Somewhere between Fred's sobs, every now and then a string of baby words tumbled from his lips, although neither Alec nor Ellie could understand them.

"You're getting yourself tired," Ellie warned her younger son, crouched in front of him. "All that screaming's gonna tire you out."

Fred, however, continued to sob and cling to Alec, refusing to let go of the man's shirt.

"How about I go up with you?" Alec suggested suddenly, startling Ellie. "That way, he might let you get him in his pyjamas and put him down to sleep. Plus it might be quicker so Tom and I can start the game."

Ellie looked a little uncertain, but Tom was nodding eagerly. Still a little unsure, Ellie nodded. Alec lifted the crying toddler into his arms as Ellie got to her feet and, together, they left the room. Alec followed Ellie upstairs and along to Fred's room, silently passing her the little boy when they were in the room. Fred was still crying, but he'd quietened, to the point where he was almost asleep. Ellie didn't dare raise her voice above a whisper, lest she wake Fred up.

"There we go," she murmured as she lay her son down in the cot.

Fred merely blinked up at her from beneath his dark brown curls. He made no attempt to get back up, or to start crying again, which both Ellie and Alec took as a good sign. They left the room together, in silence, and Ellie only spoke once they were a safe distance from Fred's room.

"Thanks for that," Ellie told him with a small smile, still not daring to speak at normal volumes.

Alec shrugged.

"It was nothing," he replied. "Besides, I think Tom was starting to feel a little forgotten; Fred hasn't left me alone all evening!"

Ellie smiled. It was true. Fred had apparently taken to Alec quite easily, ever since they'd begun their dinner routine. He'd sit on Alec's lap before dinner, had to sit between him and Ellie during dinner and, it seemed, would even prefer Alec to put him to bed now.

"Can we play on the X Box now?"

Both Ellie and Alec looked up in shock to see Tom stood expectantly at the bottom of the stairs, half-excited, half-impatient.

"Yeah," Alec responded with a small smile as he descended the last few stairs. "Yeah, come on, then."


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Super long chapter here, and originally, all of these chapters were going to take place at the Carters' (Millers') house, but hey…**

"Alec's been round yours quite a lot recently."

Ellie blinked, and looked up at her nephew. She'd agreed to meet with both Olly and Lucy at a café, to catch up. Olly had only been able to do Wednesday after work, and so Ellie had asked Alec to pick Tom and Fred up for her, and that she'd get takeaway on her way home. When she'd told Olly and Lucy who was picking the boys up, her nephew's eyes had gone wide whilst her sister had smirked.

"Well, Tom likes it," Ellie shrugged. "He and Alec play X Box games, and Alec helps him with his homework and stuff. I've always been rubbish at Shakespeare."

Tom had started year 7 towards the end of the investigation into Danny's death, and he'd come home a few weeks ago with Shakespeare homework. The eleven year old had taken one look at Ellie's pale face as she looked at the sheet, and had headed off to phone Alec instead. Alec had come over that Wednesday night as usual, and helped the boy with the homework after tea.

"But he's not just been coming over for Tom, has he?" Lucy asked with a smirk, earning her another glare from her younger sister.

"He's a friend. That's all," Ellie responded, tone slightly sharper than intended.

Lucy shook her head, still smirking, as Olly just stared.

"But he does go to yours every Wednesday?" Olly asked.

"Well, we… We have a routine," Ellie admitted after a few moments. "It's good for the boys, having Alec around. Now that… Now Joe isn't there. He's someone for Tom to look up to, and talk to. You know he's getting to that age now, there's stuff he won't want to talk to me about it, but maybe he'll talk to Alec… Fred seems to like him too, last week Alec had to put him to bed because he wouldn't let go of him!"

"And you?" Lucy asked, eyebrow arched.

The smile that had spread across Ellie's face dropped immediately.

"What about me?" she asked abruptly.

"Is having Alec around good for you?"

Ellie shrugged again.

"Suppose so," Ellie responded slowly. "I mean, he was- is- one of the only ones who truly believes that I had nothing to do with… With what Joe did."

And with that, they fell into an awkward silence.

**~StormWolf10~**

Alec sighed, feeling a headache beginning behind his eyes. He'd forgotten what it was like to have a young child in the car. Ellie had had to lend him the car seat so he could collect Fred from the childminder, and the little boy was now gurgling and clapping and giggling in the back of the car over lord knew what. Having collected Fred, Alec was on his way to pick up Tom from football, before heading to Ellie's. She'd even entrusted him with her spare key, and Alec couldn't help but wonder just what was happening to them, happening to _him_. He'd changed from the man who had first come to Broadchurch, he was much more like how he'd been before the whole Sandbrook disaster, before his wife had left him, before his family and his reputation had been destroyed… Alec shook his head and glanced in the rear view mirror to check on Fred, not wanting to risk turning around in case the traffic lights changed while he wasn't looking. He was met with the sight of little Fred Carter strapped into the colourful stripy car seat, brown curls tumbling over his forehead and mouth curved upwards in a toothy grin. He must have seen Alec looking at him, because- if possible- his grin grew wider, and he tried to reach towards Alec's reflection with a chubby hand. Instinctively, as Alec returned his attention to the road as the traffic lights turned green, he reached behind his seat to grasp the toddler's hand in his own for a few moments. He couldn't help but marvel at how small Fred's hand seemed in his, how small and warm and perfect.

"Tom!" Fred announced suddenly, voice plaintive.

Letting go of Fred's hand and returning both hands to the steering wheel as he turned into the street Tom's school was on, Alec nodded.

"Yep, we're gonna go pick up Tom now," Alec told the boy calmly.

"Tom," the boy completed, and a glance in the mirror told Alec that the toddler was frowning.

"Just another few minutes and you'll see Tom," Alec said again, trying to recall if his daughter had been so insistent at seeing certain family members when she was Fred's age. He couldn't remember.

Soon, they were pulling into the car park of the secondary school Tom attended, and out on the football field Alec could see that the after-school football club Tom attended was still going on. He pulled into a parking space, and sat there for a few moments. He could just make out Tom, a little smaller than some of the others in the year group, but he certainly wasn't the smallest boy out on the field. Fred was chattering away to himself in the back of the car, and after a few minutes Alec noted that some of the parents who'd arrived to collect their sons had actually gone over to stand on the edge of the field. At almost that exact same moment, Fred seemed to realise they'd finally reached their destination, and looked out the window towards where Tom was.

"Tom!"

Alec sighed as Fred continued yelling for his brother, and after another few minutes, came to a reluctant decision.

"Oh, god help me," Alec muttered under his breath as he unbuckled his seat belt.

Before he could change his mind, he got out of the car and opened the back door to unbuckle Fred from his car seat. Already, Alec saw that some other parents were glancing over at him, confused or bemused expressions on their faces.

"Oh great," he mumbled. "Like this isn't going to start rumours."

He settled Fred on his hip and locked the car, making his way over to the field. Alec made sure to stand a little way away from the other parents, could see them whispering to each other, pointing at him. He heard his and Ellie's and Tom's and Fred's names mentioned in muttered sentences, and heard Joe's name mentioned more than once. Alec's jaw clenched, but instead he turned his attention to Fred. The little boy was wriggling in his grip, so Alec settled him on the ground and crouched beside him. He remained like that for the next ten minutes, having fragmented conversations with the toddler and watching as he pointed at Tom every now and then. A few times, Alec had to grab the little boy to stop him from running onto the field. After what felt like far too long, the football club was over, and Tom was heading across the field towards him, looking troubled.

"What's the matter, Tom?" Alec asked, brow furrowed as the boy approached.

Alec straightened, gripping Fred's hand in his own larger one as he looked at Tom.

"I… Nothing," Tom shook his head, forcing a weak smile. "Mum said we're getting fish and chips tonight. Are we really?"

Alec nodded, distracted.

"I.. Yeah. Listen, Tom, are you sure you're alright?" he asked, glancing down at the boy again.

Tom nodded, before nodding towards the school.

"I'll just go get my bag, yeah?"

And then, Tom was gone.

**~StormWolf10~**

Walking back to the car took a little longer than it would had Alec been alone; every time he tried to pick young Fred up, the toddler had begun crying and wriggling.

"He likes to walk on his own now," Tom chipped in helpfully, rucksack on his back.

And so, they made their way back to Alec's car with Fred half-toddling, half-stumbling along between Alec and Tom.

"So, Tom, what was wrong earlier?" Alec asked, glancing over at the eleven year old.

Tom blinked and looked at him.

"Nothing," Tom responded. "Just… Just something some of the other boys said."

"What?" Alec asked, voice suddenly hard.

Tom shrugged.

"Just… Just stuff. Stuff about Da- About Joe."

Alec internally winced as Tom refused to call Joe his Dad. Then, he forced himself to pay attention to what Tom had said.

"What did they say about your Dad?"

Tom shrugged again.

"Stuff. About… About what he did to Danny."

Tom's voice was quiet, shaking, and he suddenly stopped walking. Alec ground to a halt too, looking down at the boy.

"Don't tell Mum."

Alec blinked.

"When did they say these things?"

"Before football training," Tom responded, voice still shaking. He was refusing to look at Alec now, tears welling in his eyes.

Alec's jaw clenched. They were almost at the car, but Alec didn't care. He swung little Fred onto his hip and grasped Tom's hand, dragging him back towards the field, where the PE teacher still was. He was aware that poor Tom was virtually running along beside him in his attempt to keep up with Alec's long legs.

"What are we doing?" Tom asked, wide-eyed as they approached the PE teacher.

"Sorting this out," came Alec's stiff reply.

And then they were at the PE teacher.

"DI Alec Hardy," Alec announced, dropping Tom's hand, pulling his police badge out of his pocket and flashing it at the bemused PE teacher. "I take it you're Tom's PE teacher?"

The man nodded.

"Mr Scott," the PE teacher responded, glancing at Tom. "And I already know who you are, DI Hardy. The whole of Broadchurch knows who you are."

Alec fought the urge to roll his eyes.

"The whole of Broadchurch also knows Tom's family situation at the moment, yes?" Alec continued, jaw clenched.

"Unfortunately, yes," Mr Scott agreed slowly.

"Well then, Mr Scott, can you please tell me why Tom found himself hounded by several boys in his year, in _your_ football team, about the outcome of the case? And why you failed to do anything about it?"

Mr Scott blinked, mouth opening and closing but no words coming out. That time, Alec did roll his eyes.

"Oh, for god's sake," he muttered under his breath, hoisting Fred a little higher on his hip.

"I, well, I must admit I wasn't aware of the situation," Mr Scott managed after a few moments. "Tom didn't come and complain to me about the issue."

Tom shifted uncomfortably beside Alec, looking away.

"That may be, Mr Scott," Alec responded calmly, "but seeing as the whole of Broadchurch is aware of Tom's situation, I'd expect his teachers to keep a slightly closer eye on what his classmates are saying to and about him."

"I… I… Yes, yes, I will be sure to pay more attention," Mr Scott stuttered, brow furrowed.

"Be sure you do," Alec replied coolly.

And then, he was making his way back across the field, a not-so-quite impressive figure as he'd once been, what with having a baby on his hip and a football kit-clad Tom on his heels.

**~StormWolf10~**

"Right," Alec sighed as he let the two boys into the house, "you go take a shower, Tom, get all that mud off you. I expect your Mum will be back in an hour or so with dinner."

Tom nodded, pulling off his football boots and setting them by the door before running upstairs. A few minutes later, Alec heard the shower being turned on, and he turned his attention to little Fred.

"Looks like it's you and me, then."

Fred blinked up at Alec, and grinned.

**~StormWolf10~**

When Ellie arrived home fifty minutes later with fish and chips in a plastic bag, the front room was a mess.

"What happened in here?!" she asked, wide-eyed. "Looks like a bomb's hit!"

Pieces of paper, pens and pencils, cuddly toys and storybooks were strewn across the floor, and Alec was on the sofa whilst Fred toddled around happily.

"Your son," Alec replied dryly, "has a very short attention span, Carter."

Ellie blinked, momentarily shocked at Alec calling her 'Carter'. She'd been Ellie since the closure of the Latimer case, she'd gotten used to it, it had never occurred to her that Alec might start calling her Carter instead.

"He's eleven months, Alec," Ellie pointed out, rolling her eyes. "Of course he has a short attention span!"

Ellie then paused, and took in the whole of the room.

"Where's Tom?"

"In the kitchen, doing maths homework," Alec explained. "Said he didn't need help."

Ellie nodded.

"I'll just go dish up dinner, if you want to bring Fred through."

Alec nodded, and got to his feet, moving to lift Fred into his arms. He carried the protesting toddler through to the kitchen and sat him in the high chair, before moving to help Ellie. She looked pleasantly shocked, and handed him his and Tom's dinners. Alec took them over to the table and set the plate in front of Tom. Ellie was talking about her catch-up with Olly and Lucy as she piled chips into a plastic bowl for Fred. Tom glanced, wide-eyed, from Alec to Ellie and back again. He was worried about what had happened at school, Alec noted. And so he leant over to the boy and tapped the edge of his nose.

"It'll be our secret."


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Thanks for all the reviews and favourites! Glad everyone's enjoying this!**

Alec had just pulled up outside the Carters' when his phone began vibrating in his pocket. He frowned. Hardly anyone phoned him, just Ellie, and SOCO Brian when he was working on a case. Hoping he wasn't about to be called back into work, Alec dug his phone out of his pocket and frowned. That had been the last person he'd expected to call. Still, he quickly pressed the 'answer' button and lifted the phone to his ear.

"Hello, sweetheart," he greeted, unable to stop a grin spreading across his face.

"Hi, Dad," his daughter greeted back.

Alec could tell that she was nervous about something, and immediately his brain went into overdrive. Was she ok? Had something happened?

"I, uh, I'm sorry I didn't return any of your messages before…" she continued.

"That's alright, Lucy," Alec broke in quickly. "You had every right to be angry."

"But I don't, do I?" came Lucy's sad tone through the speakers. "I have no right to be angry, not at you, not for that, anyway. Because… It wasn't you, was it?"

Alec blinked. That hadn't been what he'd expected.

"Lucy," he began, before he was interrupted again.

"No, Dad, just… Just hear me out, yeah?"

Alec took a deep breath, before agreeing reluctantly.

"Right," Lucy began again, and Alec heard her draw in a ragged breath. "'Cause you're at that seaside place, aren't you? Broadby?"

"Broadchurch," Alec corrected.

"Yeah, whatever," Lucy responded, causing Alec to roll his eyes. Typical fifteen year old girl, he decided. "Point is, it's all over the papers, Dad, that you caught that guy, the one who committed the murder. An' that journalist, the one from Sandbrook, she… She did an article on you, right? About… About how it hadn't been you who'd lost the evidence. It was Mum."

Alec's eyes closed. He'd been an idiot. He'd been a complete bloody idiot. All he'd been able to think about was clearing his name, proving it wasn't his fault. He'd forgotten the one small detail that in clearing his name and proving himself to his daughter, he'd tarnish his ex-wife's name.

"I'm sorry, Lucy-" he began.

"I know, Dad. I know," Lucy cut in. "You didn't want Mum to get the blame. And I love you for it; I really do, but… But you _lied_ to me! I'm sorry that I ignored you, and wanted nothing to do with you, and didn't return your calls, I feel horrible about that now! But you still lied, Dad. I… 'S gonna take a while, yeah?"

"Yeah," Alec agreed quietly, tone slightly bitter.

"Don't be like that, Dad," Lucy sighed. "I will forgive you, I will. I just… Need to get my head around it."

Alec smiled at that.

"When did you become so grown up, eh?" he asked, tone slightly sad as he realised just how much his daughter had changed in the twenty months since he and his wife had split up.

"When I realised I had to look after myself."

There was an awkward pause after that, which was only interrupted by Lucy.

"Look, Dad, I have to go. Mum will be home from work soon, and Stuart-"

"Stuart?" Alec echoed, jaw clenching.

He heard Lucy suck in a breath.

"Yeah," she admitted after a few moments, voice quiet. "He… They… They're together now."

"Since when?" Alec asked.

Stuart McKinnon had been the man his wife had had an affair with, an old friend of hers from college. Alec had hoped- somewhat foolishly, he realised then- that they'd parted after the divorce. But it seemed not. He just hoped things hadn't been so hard on his Lucy.

"Since a few weeks after you and Mum got officially divorced," Lucy responded. Then she paused. "He was the one she cheated on you with, wasn't he?"

"Yeah," Alec admitted slowly.

He heard his daughter's breath hitch, and for the first time in several weeks, Alec Hardy found himself cursing Broadchurch. Cursing its distance from Scotland, from his daughter, who he needed in his arms at that moment.

"I don't wanna stay here, Dad," Lucy said suddenly, and even though they were a hundred miles away, Alec could tell she was crying. "I don't wanna stay here, not with Mum and not with Stuart. I wanna be with you!"

"You've still got another year of school, sweetheart!" Alec reminded his daughter. "Look, when do your exams finish? May? June?"

"June," confirmed Lucy, sniffing.

"Well then, it's January already, and to be honest it's almost as cold down here as it is in Glasgow, so you're not missing much!" Alec smiled as he heard Lucy's watery giggle on the other end of the line. "So how about we say you can come down once your exams are over, yeah? And I'll try and arrange a weekend when I'll come up and sort everything out with your Mum. Better to do that face to face."

"'Kay," Lucy agreed softly.

"Ok, sweetheart, I'll speak to you soon, yeah?" Alec told his daughter, voice soft. "Love you."

"Love you too, Dad."

And then, Lucy was gone. Alec ended the call and sat in the car for a few moments, staring out down the street. And then, he saw the curtain in Ellie's front room twitch. It was Tom. He'd been sat there for a good few minutes, Alec realised, what with the phone call, and poor Tom probably thought Alec was having second thoughts about spending time with him. With a sigh, he hauled himself out of the car.

**~StormWolf10~**

"What was all that about earlier?" Ellie asked as she handed Alec a mug of tea. The boys were both in bed and they finally had peace and quiet. "And when the hell are you going to agree to having that pacemaker fitted?"

Alec had been changing his mind on and off about having the pacemaker fitted ever since the Latimer case had closed. Ellie knew it was because he was scared, not that he'd ever admit it, but she'd much rather he just had the operation; she was still worried about his dropping down dead. He'd wheedled his way back into the Police department, if only to just sit at a desk all day, after promising he'd have the op, but he'd made no moves to actually contact the hospital about scheduling it.

"The op's being done in a month," Alec responded, point-blank ignoring Ellie's first question.

"A month?!" Ellie echoed in disbelief. "But it's urgent."

"I'm fine, Carter," Alec responded, flashing Ellie an uncharacteristic small smile.

He'd been doing that a lot more recently, Ellie noted. Doing things that seemed out of character for him. He smiled a lot more now, seemed happier when he was around Tom and Fred, once he'd gotten over the initial awkwardness. He seemed more relaxed around them, too, and Ellie herself.

"Anyway," Alec continued, drawing Ellie's attention back to him, "I asked them to schedule it for then."

Ellie rolled her eyes.

"Why?" she asked. "So you can change your mind again?"

Alec avoided Ellie's eyes, and she bit her lip, expression softening. Of course he was scared, she realised. This was a major heart operation, this decided the rest of his life.

"You gonna tell me about earlier in the car, then?" Ellie announced suddenly.

Alec blinked, and glanced over, apparently relieved at the change in conversation.

"I got a phone call," Alec began, leaning forward and staring at the mug of tea in his hands. "I got a phone call from my daughter."

Ellie stayed silent, watching Alec carefully. She knew how much that phone call must have meant to him, knew how much he missed his daughter.

"She saw the article that Karen White wrote about me after the case closed, and about Sandbrook," Alec explained quietly. "I gave Olly permission to explain to her about Sandbrook, about what I'd told him and Maggie… It was published on The Herald's website, and, well…"

"Your daughter found it," Ellie concluded quietly.

Alec nodded.

"She's upset," Alec admitted after a few moments. "But she's more upset that I lied than anything else. But she said…" Alec trailed off, and looked up at Ellie with wide eyes that were brimming with tears. "Her Mum's still with the man she had an affair with. They live together."

Ellie just stared, trying desperately to find the right words, form the right response.

"I'm sorry, Alec."

Ellie internally winced at how insubstantial it all sounded. Alec snorted, and wiped at his eyes with the back of his hand.

"Can't blame her," Alec sighed, letting out a bitter chuckle. "I mean, look at me. I'm a right mess. Heart's packing up on me, I don't even own a house, spent the best part of two years lying to my own daughter…"

"None of that is your fault, Alec," Ellie chipped in quickly, brow furrowed. "I'm not gonna sit here and listen to your crap about how you're falling apart, Alec Hardy! You're more than capable of buying a house just as soon as you decide where you're moving to, and you're having your op, and your daughter knows the truth. I'm not going to sit here and watch you beat yourself up!"

Alec blinked and stared at Ellie. She hadn't ranted at him like that in a long time, since before the closure of the Latimer case. A small smile spread across his lips. And as Ellie blushed as she realised what she'd done, Alec only had one response.

"Good to have you back, Carter."


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Another chapter! It was surprisingly difficult to write this one…**

"So, are you busy Wednesday night?"

Ellie Carter blinked, and looked up from her computer to see SOCO Brian leaning against her desk.

"Sorry?" Ellie asked, brow furrowing.

"Are you busy Wednesday night?" Brian repeated, a smirk on his face. "Maybe we could meet up?"

"Like on a date?" Ellie asked, nose wrinkling.

"If you want to call it that," Brian responded with a nod. "So, what do you say?"

"I… No thanks, Brian," Ellie shook her head, turning back to the computer. "Alec comes round on Wednesday nights."

"Oh," Brian responded, brow furrowing. "Ok. So are you and Alec…?"

"Are me and Alec what?" Ellie asked, glancing back over at him.

His eyes widened slightly, waiting for Ellie to get the hint. And then Ellie realised.

"Oh! No, no, no, no! We're just friends," Ellie announced hastily.

Brian nodded slowly, not believing it for a second.

"Right. Right, yeah, because that's why he's round your house every week, and that's why he picked Tom up from football a fortnight ago."

"Nothing's going on, Brian," Ellie sighed, logging off the computer and standing up. "Now if you don't mind, it's time for me to pick up the boys."

**~StormWolf10~**

"SOCO Brian asked me out on Monday," Ellie announced at dinner on Wednesday.

Alec frowned while Tom wrinkled his nose.

"You didn't say yes, did you?" Tom asked quickly.

Ellie frowned at her son.

"Of course not!" she responded. "He's a nice guy, but… SOCO Brian?!"

"Dusty Brian," Alec acknowledged, recalling their conversation from months before.

Ellie grinned at that.

"Dusty Brian," she agreed, taking another bite of lasagne. "Don't know where his hands have been."

"Why'd he ask you out, though? Thought he'd given up," Alec responded, brow furrowing again.

"I know," Ellie agreed. "He hasn't said anything to me for months and months, and then out of nowhere, he asks me if I was busy tonight!"

"And what did you say?" Alec asked.

Ellie blinked. He seemed almost… Possessive.

"Well, I said no. It's the night you come round," Ellie replied.

Alec sighed, dropping his fork to his plate.

"You didn't tell SOCO Brian that, did you?" he asked, expression pained.

"Why not?" Ellie asked in confusion. "It's true! Everyone in the Police Department knows you come round on a Wednesday night! It's the routine."

"That's not the point, Carter," Alec sighed.

Tom sniggered, and at his Mum's confused look, the eleven year old began to explain.

"I think Brian thinks you and Alec are seeing each other."

"Oh," Ellie murmured, before rounding on Alec again. "And what would be wrong with that?"

"Other than SOCO Brian spreading it around the station, nothing," Alec responded, sitting forward again to finish eating. "I have an image to uphold."

"What, as a grumpy Scot who no one likes?" Ellie asked, leaning over to wipe Fred's chin with a cloth. "Yeah, because that's such a great image to have."

She began gathering in the now-empty plates. Alec scowled.

"I'm just saying, Carter, that we don't necessarily want rumours being spread about us."

"Oh, thanks. What, am I not good enough for you?" Ellie grumbled under her breath.

"Quite the contrary," Alec responded quietly. "You're far too good for me."

Tom, wide-eyed and embarrassed, quickly excused himself from the table.

**~StormWolf10~**

"I think you freaked Tom out earlier," Ellie told Alec with a small smile later that night.

"He's an eleven year old boy," Alec responded. "Eleven year old boys are very easy to freak out."

There was a pause.

"Did you mean what you said earlier?" Ellie asked quietly. "About how you have an image to uphold?"

Alec shrugged, refusing to meet her gaze.

"I… We don't know what's going on in our lives at the moment, Ellie," Alec pointed out softly. "Don't know whether we're staying in Broadchurch, or moving, whether we'll move together, or go our separate ways… We don't need petty rumours making things worse."

Ellie nodded in understanding, trying not to frown. He hadn't answered her question, not really. Hadn't said whether he'd meant it or not.

"I'm not too good for you," Ellie said after a moment. "I didn't even realise there was a murderer in my house. If anything, _you're_ too good for _me_."

Alec snorted at that, and Ellie persisted.

"It's true," she told him, turning to look at him, and he met her gaze. "I failed as both a Police Officer and a Mother. But you… You sacrificed your reputation, your career, your life, to protect your daughter, to take the blame for your wife… That family hated you, the journalists hated you! But you stuck by your decision to take the blame. Because you, Alec Hardy, are a good man."

There was a long pause, and then Alec sat forward. For a moment, Ellie thought he was going to run. But, instead, he spoke.

"I've bought a house."

Ellie blinked.

"Sorry?" she asked in confusion.

"I bought a house. Here in Broadchurch," Alec responded, meeting her gaze. "Well, on the edge of Broadchurch. Don't wanna get too close, you know? Little two-up, two-down. Will suit me fine, and there's a room for Lucy if- when- she comes down from Glasgow."

"You're staying?" Ellie asked, shocked.

Alec nodded, a small smile tugging at his lips for a moment before vanishing.

"I'm staying," he agreed. "Are you?"

Ellie blinked, and looked away, uncertain. Wasn't that the question, though? Was she staying? She'd made little to no effort to work out their future, hadn't wanted to admit that her family's future may lie somewhere other than Broadchurch… But Alec had made a decision, had chose Broadchurch. Where did that leave Ellie? Could she really bring up her kids here, in this little seaside town, after everything that had happened? They needed closure, they all did. But could Broadchurch offer that? Ellie wasn't sure, but she could feel Alec staring at her. He wanted- no, he _needed_- her to answer. And so, Ellie Carter took a deep breath and sat up a little straighter, meeting Alec's gaze.

"I… I'm not sure."


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Next chapter is partially already done, because that was originally chapter 5, but I swapped them round…**

Alec Hardy was up to his neck in old photo albums, birthday cards and Shakespeare books when he got the call.

"Alec, Tom's gone missing!"

After that, everything was a bit of a blur. He was on his feet, shoes and coat on before he was out the door of his- new- house. Ellie was still yelling hysterically down the phone at him, about how he'd been at school, but then he'd disappeared, and hadn't turned up to football practice but hadn't gone home either.

"Alright, just calm down, Carter. I'm heading over."

And then Alec was in his car. He'd had to hang up then, wasn't going to crash the car. He'd be no help to Ellie then. When he finally reached the Carter's house, Ellie was on the doorstep, Fred in her arms, waiting for him.

"Any word from him?" Alec asked as soon as he got out of the car.

Ellie shook her head, eyes brimming with tears.

"Nothing. The school said they'd keep an eye out for him in case he went back there," Ellie told him. "But I think it's because of… Because of today."

Alec swallowed, and nodded. He hadn't been due at Ellie's for dinner that night, despite it being a Wednesday, because that day had been the day of Joe's trial. Ellie had insisted on going, of course, and as Detective Inspector of the case, Alec had also been there. It had been a rather short trial, with Joe confessing everything. He'd been found guilty, and sentenced to life, with fifteen years until he could even appeal. But Alec doubted that would happen.

"What was Tom like this morning?" Alec asked, watching as Fred wriggled in his Mum's grip.

Ellie shrugged.

"Quiet," she admitted, tears brimming in her eyes. "But we both were. I mean, today hasn't exactly been easy. He went off to school as usual, a little slower than he'd usually walk, but…"

"But he _did_ turn up at school?" Alec queried.

Ellie nodded.

"I didn't get a phone call, and the school always phones if he misses a day and I've not informed them."

"And he's not answering his mobile?"

Ellie snorted.

"Of course not," Ellie told him. "I've already tried three times."

Alec nodded slowly. And then turned to walk away.

"Alec?" Ellie called after him, annoyed and hurt. "Where are you going?"

"To find your son."

**~StormWolf10~**

Almost two hours later, it was nearing seven o'clock. The night was drawing in, the sky getting darker, and Alec was trudging up the cold beach. Alone, up near the cliffs, sat a lone figure, and Alec was walking towards it. The figure- the person- was staring out across the sea, oblivious that they were no longer alone. That was, of course, until Alec dropped down to sit beside them on the sand.

"Your Mum's worried about you, you know," Alec announced calmly.

It was then, and only then, that Alec looked over at Tom. Tom responded by refusing to look at him, and instead wiped his eyes on the sleeve of his school jumper.

"I know today's been tough," Alec continued, not taking his eyes off the eleven year old beside him. "But it's been tough on your Mum as well, and you running off after school didn't help."

Tom sniffed, more tears welling in his eyes.

"So, are you gonna come back with me?"

Still, Tom made no move to reply. Alec didn't push him. Instead, they sat in silence, staring out across the sea.

"He's been locked up, hasn't he?"

Alec blinked, looking over as Tom spoke. There was no need to ask who 'he' was. Tom clearly meant Joe.

"Yeah," Alec replied slowly after a moment or so. "And he won't be coming out for a long time."

"Good."

Tom remained staring stubbornly out over the sea, his brow furrowed angrily and arms hugging his knees to his chest. With a disgruntled sigh, Alec returned his attention to the steady waves lapping at the shoreline. And then, he saw Tom shift in his peripheral vision. Moments later, Tom's head was on his shoulder, and a moment later, the boy's shoulders were shaking with silent sobs. Alec blinked, and looked down at the boy. His arm went around Tom's shoulders, and Alec shifted so that Tom's head was settled against his chest. And he let Tom cry. Let him cry for the best friend he lost, for the Dad who'd lied to him, for the childhood that had suddenly been snatched away from him. It wouldn't fix anything, but it might help.

**~StormWolf10~**

At quarter past eight, there was a knock on Ellie Carter's front door. She'd put Fred to bed after a hastily-cooked dinner of fish fingers and chips for the toddler, and she'd been checking her phone periodically every fifteen minutes. But no calls or texts from either Alec or Tom. And so, Ellie was a little shocked when she opened her front door to find Alec and Tom on her doorstep, Tom red-eyed runny-nosed in his school uniform.

"Where've you been?" Ellie demanded immediately, tugging Tom into a hug that the eleven year old gratefully accepted.

"Found him on the beach," Alec replied, stepping into the house and edging around Ellie and Tom, making himself at home.

"The beach?" Ellie echoed, pulling away from Tom to frown at him. "It's January!"

Tom just sniffed and pulled away from his Mum.

"What's for tea?" Tom asked.

Ellie raised an eyebrow, and couldn't help the small smile that spread across her lips.

"Oh, I see how it is," she told her son. "Missing for hours and then you expect me to cook for you!" Ellie gave a sigh as she headed to the kitchen. "Fish and oven chips alright?"

"Sounds great, Carter," Alec announced, already in the front room.

Ellie blinked, staring at the doorway of the front room, Alec hidden from view. She then shook her head, and caught Tom's eye, who grinned at his Mum.

"Two fish and chips coming up!" Ellie called from the kitchen.


End file.
